Category: Tarikh

Praise be to Allah.Firstly: 
The apparent meaning of the Holy Qur’an indicates that Allah’s trial of His Prophet Ayyoob (peace be upon him) was not by way of punishment for a sin or act of disobedience; rather it was for reasons known to Him, may He be glorified and exalted. Perhaps one of those reasons is that it was in order to raise him to high status by virtue of his patience, so that he might attain thereby a lofty status on the Day of Judgement.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, praises him for his patience, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “Truly! We found him patient. How excellent (a) slave! Verily, he was ever oft-returning in repentance (to Us)” [Saad 38:44]. This is the context of praise and commendation, and raising in status, which is different from the context of rebuke that is mentioned in the story of Yoonus (peace be upon him), where Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Then a (big) fish swallowed him and he had done an act worthy of blame.
Had he not been of them who glorify Allah,
He would have indeed remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection.
But We cast him forth on the naked shore while he was sick”
[as-Saaffaat 37:142-145]. 
Secondly: 
In the Prophet’s Sunnah there is a report which indicates that Ayyoob (peace be upon him) was innocent of any sin that could have been a cause for the sickness that befell him. 
It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
“Verily Ayyoob, the Prophet of Allah, suffered his trials for eighteen years, when he was shunned by relatives and strangers alike, except for two of his brothers who were among the closest of his brothers. They used to come to him in the morning and in the evening. One of them said to his companion: Do you know, by Allah, that Ayyoob must have committed a sin that no one else ever committed? His companion said: Why is that? He said: For eighteen years, Allah has not shown mercy to him or granted him relief. 
When they went to him in the evening, the man could not keep from telling him about that. Ayyoob said: I do not know what he is talking about, but Allah knows that I passed by two men who were arguing, and they mentioned Allah, I would go back to my house and offer expiation on their behalf, because I did not want Allah to be mentioned except in a proper manner… 
Narrated by Abu Ya‘la in al-Musnad, 6/299; Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh, 7/159; al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak, 2/635 
This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by Ibn Hibbaan. Al-Haakim said: (It is saheeh) according to the conditions of al-Bukhaari and Muslim, although they did not narrate it. This was also stated by adh-Dhahabi in at-Talkhees. In Fath al-Baari, 6/421, Ibn Hajar described it as being the soundest report on this topic. It was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in as-Silsilah as-Saheehah, no 17. Some of the scholars thought it was flawed. See: Ahaadeeth Mu‘allah Zaahiruha as-Sihhah, p. 54. See also: al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah, 1/254-259 
Thirdly: 
The scholars stated that the wisdom behind the trials of the Prophets is to raise them in status and enhance their image and reputation. 
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, tests His slaves with good times and bad, hardship and ease. He may test them thereby to raise them in status and enhance their image and reputation, and multiply the reward for their good deeds, as He did with the Prophets and Messengers (blessings and peace of Allah be upon them) and the righteous among His slaves. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The most sorely tested of people are the Prophets, then the next best and the next best.” Narrated by at-Tirmidhi, 2398. So if any of the righteous slaves of Allah is tested with sickness and the like, this is akin to the tests of the Prophets and Messengers, and serves to raise one in status and increase the reward, so let him be an example to others of patience and seeking reward with Allah.
End quote from Majmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 4/370-371 
On our website we have previously discussed in detail the various reasons behind the trials of the Prophets, and we have quoted the explanation of this issue given by al-‘Allaamah Ibn al-Qayyim. Please see fatwa no. 72265
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.
It is not fair for anyone who wants to examine the causes of
any nation’s decline to focus only on some outward aspects of its decline
that everyone can see, because achieving cultural advancement is a huge
process in which innumerable interrelated factors play a role; these factors
are accumulated throughout the years and penetrate deeply in all aspects of
life, which leads to raising the level of communities little by little.
Humans can hardly feel this progress because it is like the light of dawn;
it keeps coming out until its light spreads over the horizon. 

The Holy Qur’an tells us some of the aspects of material
advancement that were – and still are – a means of trials and tests, of
which no one understands the great wisdom behind it and the great impact it
has on historical dynamics except Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. 

Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation
of the meaning):

“On the Day when those who disbelieve (in the Oneness of
Allah Islamic Monotheism) will be exposed to the Fire (it will be said):
“You received your good things in the life of the world, and you took your
pleasure therein. Now this Day you shall be recompensed with a torment of
humiliation, because you were arrogant in the land without a right, and
because you used to rebel and disobey (Allah)”

[al-Ahqaaf 46:20]

“Do they not travel in the land, and see what was the end
of those before them? They were superior to them in strength, and they
tilled the earth and populated it in greater numbers than these (pagans)
have done, and there came to them their Messengers with clear proofs.
Surely, Allah wronged them not, but they used to wrong themselves.

Then evil was the end of those who did evil, because they
belied the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations,
Messengers, etc.) of Allah and made mock of them.”

[ar-Room 30:9-10]. 

Al-‘Allaamah Muhammad Rasheed Rida (may Allah have mercy on
him) said:

The first Muslims’ belief in the Oneness of Allah (Tawheed),
their knowledge of Him, their love for Him and their reliance on Him are
what purified their souls, honed their ambitions and gave them a sense of
pride and power; that enabled them to establish truth and justice, and
motivated them to conquer lands, rule nations, ransom them from spiritual
and intellectual slavery to soothsayers, rabbis, monks and clergy, liberate
them from the injustice and tyranny of kings, establish the foundations of
civilisation, and revive and develop different branches of science and
technology. They were able to achieve all of that in an unprecedented manner
that no other nation on earth had ever achieved or even come close. Gustave
le Bon, the famous sociologist, said: Mastery of different branches of
science and technology was not possible for any rising nation in less than
three generations: the first generation clings to the past; the second
generation started the process of freeing themselves from blind following;
and the third generation is the generation of independence and hard work.
(He said that this applies to all nations) except the Arabs; they are the
only ones who were able to lay the foundation of science and technology in
the first generation. 

I say: The cause of that was the teachings of the Qur’an,
which taught them to be independent in thinking and to avoid blind
imitation. It taught them to be prepared to lead mankind in spiritual and
worldly matters alike. But all of that disappeared for subsequent
generations, after the demise of the Islamic caliphate and after Arabic
civilisation ceased to flourish, when power shifted to the non-Arabs who had
nothing of Islam except superficial traditions and were not strongly
connected to the guidance of the Qur’an.

Tafseer al-Manaar, 11/173 

We cannot ignore the impact of conspiracies, both internal
and external, against our ummah throughout the ages, which led to its
enemies getting ahead of it in material matters. But our thought and the
thought of our ummah is far above feelings of defeatism, relying on others
in order to achieve revival, and feeling overwhelmed in the face of great
responsibility, the responsibility of being in a leading position in
relation to other nations. As for our enemies among the Israelites, they
excelled at making the most of every opportunity and they strove hard in
engineering events that had a global impact. They strove persistently for
decades until they achieved what they wanted and reached a position of power
in our times. But that has nothing to do with the verse (interpretation of
the meaning): “O Children of Israel! Remember My
Favour which I bestowed upon you and that I preferred you to the Alameen
(mankind and jinns)” [al-Baqarah 2:47], because
this verse speaks of previous blessings that Allah had granted to the
Children of Israel throughout history, and is meant to remind them of that.
Among these blessings are what is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, where Allah,
may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And (remember) when Moosa (Moses) said to his people: ‘O my people!
Remember the Favour of Allah to you, when He made Prophets among you, made
you kings, and gave you what He had not given to any other among the Alameen
(mankind and jinns, in the past)’” [al-Maa’idah 5:20]. 

Al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Here Allah, may He be exalted, reminds them of previous
blessings that He bestowed upon their fathers and forebears, and the favour
He bestowed upon them by sending the Messengers from among them, revealing
the Books to them and favouring them above all other nations at that time.
End quote.

Tafseer al-Qur’an al-‘Azeem,
1/255 

However, we regard our current situation with optimism that
motivates us to advance further and succeed by striving harder to use all
possible means, both spiritual and worldly. The foundation of that is the
righteous individual who always remembers that Allah, may He be glorified
and exalted, is watching him in all situations. Such individuals are a
constructive factor in the reform of communities and families; they do not
wait for the revival to be presented to them on a golden platter or hope
that programs will be set up for them to achieve that. Rather they hasten to
take the initiative and strive hard to do all that is good and beneficial,
putting their trust in Allah in the hope that He will bless their deeds, no
matter how small, and reward those who do good for their good deeds. Allah,
may He be exalted, knows who is trying to spread mischief and who is
striving to do good, and the followers of His Messengers will prevail and be
victorious if they take the measures that lead to victory and advancement.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning):

“Indeed, they planned their plot, and their plot was with
Allah, though their plot was a great (one, still) it would never be able to
remove the mountains (real mountains or the Islamic law) from their places
(as it is of no importance).

So think not that Allah will fail to keep His Promise to
His Messengers. Certainly, Allah is All-Mighty, – All-Able of Retribution”

[Ibraaheem 14:46-47]. 

And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.The month of Safar is one of the twelve months of the Hijri calendar ; it is the month that comes after Muharram . Some of them say that it was so called because Makkah was emptied of its inhabitants [the verb used in Arabic to describe this comes from the same root as the name of the month Safar], when they travelled during this month. 
It was also suggested that they called it Safar because they used to fight other tribes during this month, and they would leave whoever they met with zero (sifr) goods (i.e., they would plunder his goods, leaving him with nothing).) Lisaan al-‘Arab by Ibn Manzoor (vol. 4, p. 462-463)
We will discuss this month under the following points:
What was narrated concerning it from the Arabs of the Jahiliyyah.
What was narrated in Islamic teaching that is contrary to what the people of the Jaahiliyyah believed.
Innovations and false beliefs concerning this month that are found among some followers of Islam.
What happened during this month of battles and important events in the life of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
What has been narrated of false hadiths about Safar.
What was narrated concerning the month of Safar from the Arabs of the Jahiliyyah
The Arabs had two grave objectionable practices with regard to the month of Safar: 

They used to tamper with it, bringing it forward and putting it back from its place in the calendar
They regarded it as unlucky

With regard to tampering with the month of Safar, it is well-known that Allah, may He be exalted, created the year and the number of its months as twelve months, four of which Allah, may He be exalted, made sacred, during which it was prohibited to fight, out of respect for the sanctity of the month. These months are: Dhu’l-Qa‘dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab . 
The confirmation of that in the book of Allah is the verse in which He, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred. That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein” [at-Tawbah 9:36]. 
The mushrikeen were aware of that, but they used to postpone them or bring them forward, according to their whims and desires. As part of that, they used to put the month of Safar in the place of Muharram!
They believed that ‘umrah during the months of Hajj was one of the worst of evils. There follow some scholarly comments on that: 

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: They used to think that ‘umrah during the months of Hajj was one of the worst evils on earth. They would make Muharram Safar and say: They would say: when the backs of the camels have healed and the tracks of the pilgrims have become erased and Safar is over, ‘Umrah becomes permissible for those who want to do ‘Umrah. (Narrated by al-Bukhari (1489) and Muslim (1240))
Ibn al-‘Arabi said: 

“Manner of postponing sacred months: 
There are three views concerning the manner in which the sacred months were postponed:
1- It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that Junadah ibn ‘Awf ibn Umayyah al-Kinani used to attend the Hajj season every year and call out: Verily Abu Thumama is never rejected or refuted. Verily Safar last year was not sacred; we make it sacred one year and not sacred the next year. And they were with Hawazin, Ghatafan and Banu Sulaym (regarding this matter). 
According to another version, he used to say: We will bring Muharram forward and delay Safar. Then the next year he would say: We will regard Safar as sacred and delay Muharram. That is what delaying the sacred month means.
2- Adding to the sacred months. Qatadah said: Some of the misguided people decided to add Safar to the sacred months, so their spokesman would stand up during the Hajj season and say: Your gods have decided that Muharram is to be regarded as sacred this year. So they would regard it as sacred that year. Then the following year he would stand up and say: Your gods have decided to regard Safar as sacred. So they would regard it as sacred that year, and would say: There are two Safars. 
Ibn Wahb and Ibn Qasim narrated something similar from Malik, who said: The people of the Jahiliyyah used to regard them as two Safars. Hence the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no Safar.” That is how Ashhab narrated it from him. 
3- Changing the time of Hajj. Mujaahid said, with a different isnaad: “The postponement (of a Sacred Month) is indeed an addition to disbelief” [at-Tawbah 9:37]. He said: They used to do Hajj in Dhu’l-Hijjah for two years, then they would do Hajj in Muharram for two years, then they would do Hajj in Safar for two years. They would do Hajj in each month for two years, until the Hajj of Abu Bakr, which was in Dhu’l-Qa‘dah, then the Hajj of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was in Dhu’l-Hijjah. Hence the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said in his Farewell Sermon, according to the saheeh hadith: “Time has returned to its original order as it was on the day when Allah created the heavens and the earth.” Narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas and others. 
He said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “O people, listen to my words, for I do not know whether I will meet you again after this day of mine in this place. O people, verily your blood and your wealth are sacred, until the Day you meet your Lord, as sacred as this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this land of yours. Verily you will meet your Lord, and He will ask you about your deeds. I have conveyed the message. Whoever has a trust, let him render it back to the one who entrusted it to him. All riba is abolished, but you may keep your capital, so that you will not wrong others and you will not be wronged. Allah has decreed that there should be no riba, and the riba of ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib is all abolished. Verily every blood feud of the Jaahiliyyah is abolished, and the first of your blood feuds that I abolish is the blood feud of Ibn Rabee‘ah ibn al-Harith ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib. He was breastfed among Banu Layth and killed by Hudhayl. This is the first step in abolishing the blood feuds of the Jahiliyyah. 
“To proceed: O people, verily the Shaytan has despaired of ever being worshipped in your land, but if he is obeyed in other matters, that you think of as insignificant of your misdeeds, he will be content. So beware, O people, lest he undermine your religious commitment. ‘The postponing (of a Sacred Month) is indeed an addition to disbelief: thereby the disbelievers are led astray, for they make it lawful one year and forbid it another year in order to adjust the number of months forbidden by Allah’ [at-Tawbah 9:37]. Time has returned to its original order as it was on the day when Allah created the heavens and the earth. Verily the number of months with Allah is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three consecutive months, and Rajab of Mudar, which comes between Jumada and Sha‘ban.” Then he quoted the rest of the hadith. (Ahkam al-Quran (2/503-504))
With regard to regarding the month of Safar as unlucky , that was well known among the people of the Jahiliyyah and continued among some followers of Islam. 
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “No ‘adwa [transmission of infectious disease without the permission of Allah], no tiyarah [superstitious belief in bird omens], no haamah [refers to a Jahili Arab tradition described variously as: a worm that infests the grave of a murder victim until he is avenged; an owl; or the bones of a dead person turned into a bird that could fly], and no Safar [the month of Safar was regarded as unlucky in the Jahiliyyah]. But flee from the leper as you would flee from a lion.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari (5387) and Muslim (2220) 
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 
“Several explanations were given for the word “Safar” [in this hadith]: 
1. that it was the well-known month of Safar, which the Arabs regarded as unlucky;
2. that it was an internal disease affecting camels, that may be transmitted from one camel to another, and it was mentioned after ‘adwa [contagion or transmission of infectious disease] by way of mentioning a specific type of contagion after mentioning something general;
3. that it referred to the month of Safar, but what was meant was postponing the sacred months, by which the disbelievers were led astray. Hence they would delay regarding the month of Muharram as sacred, and defer it until Safar, regarding it as not sacred one year, and regarding it as sacred the following year.
What is most likely to be the case is that what is meant here is the month of Safar, as they used to regard it as unlucky during the Jahiliyyah. 
But time and months have no impact on people or on the decrees of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. Therefore time in Safar is like time in any other month, when good or bad may be decreed. 
Some people, if they finish some work on, say, the twenty fifth of Safar, will give the date by saying “It was completed on the twenty fifth of the good month of Safar.” This comes under the heading of fighting bid‘ah with bid‘ah. Safar is neither a good month nor a bad month. Therefore some of the early generation would denounce a person who said, upon hearing the call of the owl [which was regarded as inauspicious during the Jahiliyyah], “It is good, in sha Allah,” by stating that it should not be described as either good or bad; rather it calls like any other bird. 
The fact that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated that these four things have no impact indicates that it is obligatory to put one’s trust in Allah alone and to be steadfast, and not to feel weak when faced with these things. 
If the Muslim pays attention to such superstitious matters, it must be one of two scenarios: 
1. Either he responds to these superstitions by going ahead with his plans or refraining (according to superstition), in which case he has connected his deeds to something that has no reality or substance,
2. or he does not respond, by going ahead with his plans and not paying any attention (to the superstitious matter), but there remains in his mind some kind of worry and distress. Even though this is not as bad as the first case, he should not pay any attention at all to these matters, and he should put his truth solely in Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.
Denying that these four matters do not have any impact does not mean denying that they exist – because they do in fact exist; rather it is denying that they have any influence, because the only one with influence is Allah. Whatever is a real cause is a valid and sound cause, and whatever is an imaginary cause is a false cause, and we deny that it has any influence in and of itself.” (Majmoo‘ Fatawa ash-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 2/113-115)
What was narrated in Islamic teaching that is contrary to what the people of the Jaahiliyyah believed
This was referred to in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah in as-Saheehayn, where it says that the belief of the people of the Jaahiliyyah concerning Safar was blameworthy, because it is one of the months of Allah and has no will of its own: rather it is subject to the will of Allah.
Innovations and false beliefs concerning this month that are found among some followers of Islam
1. The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked:
Some of the scholars in our country claim that in the religion of Islam there is a naafil (supererogatory) prayer to be offered on the last Wednesday of the month of Safar, at the time of Duha prayer; it is four rak‘ahs with one tasleem, and in each rak‘ah one should recite the Opening of the Book (i.e., Surah al-Faatihah), Surah al-Kawthar seventeen times, Surah al-Ikhlas fifty times, and al-Mu’awwidhatayn [the last two surahs of the Quran] one time each, and that is to be done in each rak‘ah, then the tasleem is to be said [at the end]. After saying the tasleem, one should start to recite “And Allah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not” [Yoosuf 12:21] three hundred and sixty times, and Jawhar al-Kamal three times, and conclude by saying “Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! (He is free) from what they attribute unto Him! And peace be on the Messengers! And all the praise and thanks be to Allah, Lord of the ‘Alameen (mankind, jinns and all that exists)” [as-Saffat 37:180-182]. 
Then one should give some bread in charity to the poor. This verse is chosen to ward off calamities that may occur on the last Wednesday of the month of Safar. 
They say that every year, three hundred and twenty thousand calamities befall people, and all of that happens on the last Wednesday of the month of Safar. So that day is the most difficult of all the days of the year, but whoever offers this prayer in the manner described, Allah will protect him by His kindness from all calamities that come down on that day. Is this the case? 
The scholars of the Committee replied: 
With regard to this supererogatory prayer mentioned in the question, we do not know of any basis for it in the Quran or Sunnah. In our view it is not proven that any one of the early generations of this ummah or the righteous among its later generations did this supererogatory prayer. Rather it is a reprehensible innovation (bid‘ah).
It is proven from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that he said: “Whoever does a deed that is not part of this matter of ours, it will be rejected.” And he said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it, it will be rejected.” 
Whoever attributes this prayer and the other things mentioned with it to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or to any of the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) has uttered a grave lie, and he will have from Allah what he deserves of the punishment of those who tell lies. (Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daimah, 2/354) 
2. Shaykh Muhammad ‘Abd as-Salam ash-Shuqayri said:
The ignorant have the custom of writing the verses of salaam, such as “Salamun (peace) be upon Nooh (Noah) (from Us) among the Alameen (mankind, jinns and all that exists)” [as-Saffat 37:79] and so on, on the last Wednesday of the month of Safar, then they put them in vessels and drink (water that has been poured on them), and seek barakah (blessing) thereby, and exchange them as gifts, because they believe that this will remove evil. This is a corrupt belief and is blameworthy superstition and an abhorrent innovation; everyone who sees it must denounce the one who does it. (As-Sunan wa’l-Mubtada‘at, pp. 111, 112) 
What happened during this month of battles and important events in the life of the Prophet 
There were many such events, of which we will mention a few: 
1. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Then he himself led the campaign of al-Abwa’, which is also known as Waddan. This was the first campaign that he led himself. It took place in Safar, twelve months after his migration (to Madinah). His banner, which was white, was carried by Hamzah ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib. He left Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubadah in charge of Madinah during his absence, and he set out with the Muhajireen only to intercept a caravan belonging to Quraysh, and did not engage in any fighting.
During this campaign, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) made a peace deal with Makhshi ibn ‘Amr ad-Damri, who was the leader of Banu Damrah at that time, agreeing that he would not attack Banu Damrah, and they would not attack him, and that they would not join others against him or help any enemy against him, and a document to that effect was written between him and them. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was absent for fifteen days.” (Zad al-Ma’ad, 3/164-165) 
2. He [Ibn al-Qayyim] also said:
“In Safar 3 AH, some people came to him from (the tribes of) ‘Adal and al-Qarah and said that some of them had already accepted Islam, and they asked him to send with them someone to teach them the religion and teach them Qur’an. So he sent six people with them – according to the report of Ibn Ishaaq; al-Bukhari said that they were ten. He appointed as their leader Marthad ibn Abi Marthad al-Ghinawi, and among them was Khubayb ibn ‘Adiyy. They went with them, but when they were in ar-Rajee‘ – which was a watering place belonging to Hudhayl in a district of al-Hijaz – they betrayed them and sought the help of Hudhayl against them, who came and surrounded them, and killed most of them, but they took Khubayb ibn ‘Adiyy and Zayd ibn ad-Dathinah captive. They brought them to Makkah and sold them there; they had killed some of the leaders of Makkah on the day of Badr.” (Zad al-Ma’ad, 3/244) 
3. And he [Ibn al-Qayyim] said:
“During this same month, namely Safar 4 AH, there occurred the battle of Bi’r Ma‘oonah. To sum up:
Abu Bara’ ‘Aamir ibn Maalik, who was known as Mala‘ib al-Asinnah [the Player with the Spears] came to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in Madinah. He called him to Islam but he did not become Muslim, yet he was not far from it. He said: O Messenger of Allah, if you were to send some of your companions to the people of Najd to invite them to your religion, I hope that they would respond to them. He said to him: “I fear that the people of Najd may kill them.” Abu Bara said: I will be their protector. So he sent forty men with him, according to the report of Ibn Ishaaq. In as-Saheeh it says that they were seventy; the report in as-Saheeh is the correct report. He appointed as their leader al-Mundhir ibn ‘Amr, one of Banu Saa‘idah, who was known as “The Quick to Seek Death”. They were among the best of the Muslims, the most virtuous of them, their leaders, those who had knowledge of the Qur’an. They travelled until they halted in Bi’r Ma‘oonah, which is between the land of Banu ‘Aamir and the harrah of Banu Sulaym. They halted there, then they sent Haram ibn Milhan, the brother of Umm Sulaym, with the letter of the Messenger of Allah to the enemy of Allah ‘Amir ibn at-Tufayl. He did not even look at it, and he ordered a man to stab him with a spear in his back. When Haram ibn Milhan was stabbed and saw the blood, he said: I have attained a victory, by the Lord of the Ka‘bah! Then the enemy of Allah tried to mobilise Banu ‘Amir to fight the others, but they did not respond to him because of the protection of Abu Bara. Then he mobilised Banu Sulaym and [the tribes of] ‘Usayyah, Ri‘l and Dhakwan responded. They came and surrounded the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, and they fought until they were all killed, except Ka‘b ibn Zayd ibn an-Najjar. He was wounded and was picked up from among the slain, and lived until he was killed on the Day of al-Khandaq. ‘Amr ibn Umayyah ad-Damri and al-Mundhir ibn ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir were with the camels of the Muslims out at pasture, and they saw the birds flying over the location of the battle. Al-Mundhir ibn ‘Uqbah came and fought the polytheists until he was killed with his companions, and ‘Amr ibn Umayyah ad-Damri was taken captive, but when he told them that he was from Mudar, ‘Amir cur off his forelock and released him on behalf of his mother, who had taken an oath to release a slave. ‘Amr ibn Umayyah headed back [to Madinah] and when he came to al-Qarqarah at the beginning of Qanat [a place name], he stopped in the shade of a tree, and two men from Banu Kilab came and stopped with him. When they fell asleep, ‘Amr killed them, thinking that he had taken revenge on them for the killing of his Companions, but they had a covenant with the Messenger of Allah of which he was not aware. When he came and told the Messenger of Allah about what he had done, he said: “You have killed two men whose diyah (blood money) I must pay.” (Zad al-Ma’ad, 3/246-248) 
4. Ibn al-Qayyim said:
“His going out to Khaybar occurred at the end of Muharram and not at the beginning, and its conquest could only have taken place in Safar.” (Zad al-Ma’ad, 3/339-340) 
5. And he [Ibn al-Qayyim] said:
“Chapter on the expedition of Qatbah ibn ‘Amir ibn Hadeedah to Khath‘am 
This happened in Safar 9 AH. Ibn Sa‘d said: They said: The Messenger of Allah sent Qatbah ibn ‘Amir with twenty men to a tribe of Khath‘am in the region of Tabalah, and ordered him to launch a raid. They set out on ten camels, taking it in turns to ride them. They caught a man and questioned him, and he refused to talk, but then he cried out to the tribe, to warn them, so they struck his neck. Then they waited until the tribe had gone to sleep, then they launched the raid on them and the fighting grew fierce, until there were many wounded on both sides, and Qutbah ibn ‘Amir killed whoever he killed,  and they brought the camels, women and sheep to Madinah. According to the story, the tribe gathered together and pursued them, but Allah, may He be exalted, sent a great flood against them that came between them and the Muslims. The Muslim drove off the camels, sheep and captives as they were looking on, but they could not cross [the flood waters] to reach them, until they disappeared from sight.” (Zad al-Ma’ad, 3/514) 
6. And he [Ibn al-Qayyim] said:
“The delegation of ‘Udhrah came to the Messenger of Allah in Safar 9 AH, with twelve men, among whom was Jamrah ibn an-Nu‘maan. The Messenger of Allah said: Who are the people? Their spokesman said: We are not strangers to you; we are Banu ‘Udhrah, the brother of Qusayy through his mother. We are the people who supported Qusayy and removed Khuza’ah and Banu Bakr from the valley of Makkah, and we have ties of kinship. The Messenger of Allah said: “Welcome to you; I know you very well.” They became Muslim, and the Messenger of Allah gave them the glad tidings of the conquest of Greater Syria and the flight of Heraclius to a fortified place in his own land. The Messenger of Allah forbade them to ask questions of soothsayers and offer sacrifices (that they used to offer during the Jahiliyyah), and he told them that they did not have to offer anything but the udhiyah. They stayed for several days in the house of Ramlah, then they left.” (Zad al-Ma’ad, 3/657) 
What has been narrated of false hadiths about Safar
Ibn al-Qayyim said: 
“Section on hadiths that mention dates in the future 
Where the hadith mentions certain dates, such as saying “In such and such a year, such and such will happen; or, in such and such a month, such and such will happen.”
Or as when the arch liar said: “If the moon is eclipsed in Muharram, prices will rise, there will be fighting and people in authority will be distracted, and if it is eclipsed in Safar, such and such will happen.”
And the liar went on to say something about all the months.
All such hadiths are false and fabricated. (Al-Manaar al-Muneef, p. 64)
And Allah knows best

Praise be to Allah.In the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, you will find the truest, most beautiful and most trustworthy of stories, because it is the word of Allah, may He be exalted, which illuminated the world with its lessons and rulings. Reading the stories of the Messengers and Prophets in the verses of the Qur’aan is one of the greatest ways of bringing benefits and good to the Muslim, let alone the immense reward that is attained by the one who ponders the Book of Allah, may He be exalted. Hence we advise you to be keen to pursue this way of goodness, for the Muslim can never do without the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, no matter what other books he reads.
With regard to the books of the scholars about the stories of the Prophets, the best of them – as it appears to us – are the following:
1.
Qasas al-Anbiya’ (Stories of the Prophets) by al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) (d. 774 AH). This is perhaps the best of the books of the early scholars on this topic, as it is distinguished by compiling all of the verses having to do with the story of each Prophet in one place, and making connections between them by commenting on them and quoting hadeeths and reports that have to do with them. It is an encyclopaedic and well organised book that discusses the lives of the Prophets, although it quotes rather too many reports that are not proven and some reports from Jewish sources (Israa’eeliyyaat). However for the most part he points out the origin of these reports, and he states that he only quotes for the purpose of studying them and highlighting their status. So we recommend you to read this book and study it. The one who wants to study these stories with the best annotation should read the book al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah (Dar Hajar edn., published under the supervision of Dr. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-Muhsin at-Turki), because Qasas al-Anbiya’ is taken from the first chapters of al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah.
2.
al-Ahaadeeth as-Saheehah min Akhbaar wa Qasas al-Anbiya’ (The saheeh hadeeths that speak of the lives and stories of the Prophets) was compiled and their isnaads evaluated by Ibraaheem Muhammad al-‘Ali (publ. by Dar al-Qalam in Damascus and Dar ash-Shaamiyyah in Beirut, 276 pages). It is a very useful book that is distinguished by the fact that it includes many hadeeths that speak of the stories of the Messengers and Prophets, and the material is organised with comments in a manner that complements these stories. The author (may Allah have mercy on him) put a great deal of effort into selecting saheeh and hasan hadeeths and reports, and avoiding weak and fabricated material. This may be the best contemporary book on this topic.
3.
Qasas al-Anbiya’ by al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan as-Sa‘di (d. 1376 AH). This is a short book that is taken from his book Tayseer al-Lateef al-Mannaan fi Khilaasat Tafseer al-Qur’an, in which he recounts the stories of the Prophets as they were narrated in the Holy Qur’aan, in sequence, and he follows each story with a brief discussion of what we learn from it.
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:

With regard to the postponement of the months mentioned in
the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “The
postponing (of a Sacred Month) is indeed an addition to disbelief: thereby
the disbelievers are led astray, for they make it lawful one year and forbid
it another year in order to adjust the number of months forbidden by Allah,
and make such forbidden ones lawful. The evil of their deeds seems pleasing
to them. And Allah guides not the people, who disbelieve”
[at-Tawbah 9:37], this
refers to their practice whereby they would decide that the sacred month of
Muharram was not to be held sacred, and they would declare Safar as sacred
instead, if they needed to do that.

This has been discussed previously in the answer to question
no. 165970.

Secondly:

To sum up what has been mentioned in some books of history:

Before Islam, the Arabs used to use the lunar calendar, in
which there were twelve months that were determined by the sighting of the
new moon from one month to the next.

Among them there were four sacred months, during which they
would refrain from fighting; they would hold their markets, such as ‘Ukaaz
and others; they would go on pilgrimage to the Ka‘bah; and they would be
safe on the road and at home from raids, plunder and banditry.

But despite the fact that they used the lunar calendar, they
did not have any particular system for dating important events, in most
cases. Rather, when it came to dating important life events, they would
connect them to certain historical events, as follows:

·The construction of the
Ka‘bah by Ibraaheem al-Khaleel and his son Ismaa‘eel (peace be upon them
both) – approximately 1855 BCE

·The Year of Treason, which
was the year in which Banu Yarboo‘ stole the goods that some of the kings of
Banu Himyar had sent to the Ka‘bah – 461 BCE

·The collapse of the Ma’rib
Dam in Yemen – 120 BCE approx.

·The death of Ka‘b ibn Lu‘ayy,
the seventh great-grandfather of the Messenger Muhammad (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) – 59 BCE

·The Year of the Elephant,
which is the year in which the great Messenger Muhammad (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) was born – 571 CE

·The Sacrilegious War, which
was so called because the Arabs committed a grave act of sacrilege in it,
when their tribes fought amongst themselves during the sacred months. This
war lasted for four years, beginning in 586 CE.

·The reconstruction of the
Ka‘bah, which occurred at the time of ‘Abd al-Muttalib, the grandfather of
the Messenger Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). At that
time, the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was 35 years
old. This means that it occurred in 605 CE, i.e., five years before the
mission of Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) began.

Throughout their long history before Islam, the Arabs used
the names of the lunar months that were known at that time, until these
names changed and throughout the Arab land began to take on the forms by
which they are known now, from the end of the fifth century CE – during the
era of Kilaab, the fifth great-grandfather of the Messenger Muhammad
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), as was stated by al-Biruni in
412 CE. During the Jaahiliyyah, the Arabs also used the solar months during
some periods and in some places.

For more information, please see: al-Mufassal fi Tareekh
al-‘Arab qabl al-Islam (1/5014); Murooj adh-Dhahab by al-Mas‘oodi
(1/249)

And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.
Ibn
Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

It was
narrated to us via Ibn Luhay‘ah from Qays ibn al-Hajjaj from someone who
told him: When Egypt was conquered, its people came to ‘Amr ibn al-‘As (may
Allah be pleased with him) and said to him: O Ameer, this Nile of ours is
used to something and cannot flow unless it is done. He said: What is that?
They said: On the twelfth night of this month, we take a young girl from her
parents, and we placate her parents, then we dress her in jewellery and the
finest garments there can be, then we throw her into this Nile. 

‘Amr (may
Allah be pleased with him) said to them: This is something that cannot
happen in Islam; Islam erases that which came before it (of bad customs). 

So they
stayed for a while, during which the Nile did not flow at all, neither a
little nor a lot, until they thought of leaving. Then ‘Amr (may Allah be
pleased with him) wrote to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with
him), telling him about this. He wrote to him, saying: You did the right
thing. I am sending you a piece of paper with my letter; throw it into the
Nile. 

When his
letter came, ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) took the piece of paper on
which was written: 

“From the
slave of Allah ‘Umar, Ameer al-Mumineen, to the Nile of the people of Egypt.

To
proceed: If you only flow on your own initiative, then do not flow, for we
have no need of you. But if you only flow on the command of Allah, the One,
the Subduer, and He is the One Who causes you to flow, then we ask Allah,
may He be exalted, to make you flow.” 

He threw
the paper in the Nile and by Saturday morning, Allah had caused the Nile to
flow (to a depth or width of) sixteen cubits in one night, and Allah put an
end to this particular custom of the people of Egypt until today.

End quote
from al-Bidayah wa’n-Nihayah, 7/114-115 

Similar
reports were also narrated by Ibn ‘Abd al-Hakam in Futooh Misr, p. 165;
al-Lalkai in Sharh I‘tiqad Ahl as-Sunnah, 6/463; Ibn ‘Asakir in Tareekh
Dimashq, 44/336; Abu’sh-Shaykh in al-‘Azamah, 4/1424, via Ibn Luhay‘ah. 

This is a
da‘eef isnad (weak chain of narration) that is not saheeh, and this report
cannot be proven with such an isnad. Ibn Luhay‘ah – whose full name was
‘Abdullah ibn Luhay‘ah ibn ‘Uqbah – is da ‘eef as he used to get mixed up,
and in addition to that he is mudallis (one
who
narrates from someone he met something he did not hear).
See at-Tahdheeb, 5/327-33; Mizan al-I‘tidaal, 2/475-484 

Qays ibn
al-Hajjaj is sadooq (trustworthy), from the sixth level of hadeeth narrators
(tabaqah) according to al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar; they are the ones who it is not
proven that they met any of the Sahabah/Companions (may Allah be pleased
with them). See: Taqreeb at-Tahdheeb, 1/25 

Sometimes
he narrated it as a mursal (the
link between the Successor and the Prophet is missing)
report and
sometimes he narrated it from the one who told him, but the one who told him
is majhool and not known. 

So the
report is da‘eef (weak) and is not saheeh (sound) 

If this
story were true, everyone would know about it and it would be well known,
and it would have been widely narrated through confirmed isnads, because it
is an important and significant event, the like of which should not be
ignored; rather an incident less significant than this would not be
overlooked by historians and narrators. 

And Allah
knows best.

Praise be to Allah.Who is Prophet Daniel? 
More than one of the scholars of history and biography have stated that Daniel was one of the Israelite Prophets. He lived at the time of Nebuchadnezzar who destroyed Bayt al-Maqdis (the Temple in Jerusalem), killed many of the Children of Israel, and burned the Torah.
Did Prophet Daniel foretell the coming of Prophet Muhammad?
Scholars said that Prophet Daniel foretold the coming of our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Daniel (peace be upon him) mentioned Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) by name, and said: “Arrows will be departing from bows and arrows will be stained with blood at your command, O Muhammad.”
This is a clear, unambiguous statement.
Then Shaykh al-Islam mentioned two cases in which Daniel foretold the coming of the Messiah and of our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon them both), then he said:
“This is a prophecy in which Daniyal foretold the coming of the Messiah and the coming of Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), in which there is a detailed description of Muhammad and his ummah, which would take too long to quote here. The Muslims read it when they conquered Iraq, as was mentioned by the scholars, including Abu’l-‘Aliyah.” (Al-Jawab as-Sahih (5/275-281)
Did ‘Umar instruct the Companions to rebury Prophet Daniel?
It is well known that when the Muslims conquered Tastar, they came across the grave of Prophet Daniel (peace be upon him), and Amir al-Muminin ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) instructed the Companions to rebury him and conceal from the people the location of his grave, lest that be a cause of fitnah and confusion.
Ibn Abi’d-Dunya narrated with a hasan isnad – as it says in al-Bidayah wa’an-Nihayah – from Abu’z-Zinad that he said:
“I saw a ring on the hand of Abu Burdah ibn Abi Musa al-Ash‘ari, on the bezel of which there was an engraving of two lions, between whom was a man, and they were licking that man. Abu Burdah said: This is the ring of that dead man whom the people of this city claim is Daniel. Abu Musa took it on the day they reburied him. Abu Burdah said: Abu Musa asked the scholars of that city about the engraving on that ring, and they said: The astrologers and scholars came to the king under whose rule Daniel lived and told him: On such and such a night, a boy will be born who will undermine your sovereignty. The king said: By Allah, no boy will survive that night but I will kill him. But they took Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den, where the lion and lioness licked him but did not harm him, then his mother came and found the lions licking him. Thus Allah saved him until he grew up and achieved what he achieved. Abu Burdah said: Abu Musa said: The scholars of that city said: Therefore Daniel engraved his image and the image of the two lions licking him on the bezel of his ring, lest he forget that blessing that Allah had bestowed upon him.”
Ibn Abi Shaybah (7/4) narrated with a sahih isnad from Anas that when they conquered Tastar, they found a man whose nose was one cubit long in a coffin, and they used to pray for victory and for rain by virtue of him. Abu Musa wrote to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab about that, and ‘Umar wrote back, saying: This man is one of the prophets; fire does not consume (the bodies of) the prophets and the earth does not consume (the bodies of) the prophets. And he wrote instructions saying: You and your companions (meaning the companions of Abu Musa) should discuss the matter and rebury him in a place that no one knows except you two. He said: So Abu Musa and I went and reburied him.
Ibn Abi Shaybah (7/4) narrated with a sahih isnad from Mutarrif ibn Malik that he said: I was present at the conquest of Tastar with al-Ash‘ari. We came across (the body of) Daniel in as-Sus. When the people of as-Sus were faced with drought, they would bring him out and pray for rain by virtue of him. We found with him sixty sealed jars…
Al-Bayhaqi said in Dalail al-Nubuwwah (1/381):
“It was narrated from Khalid ibn Dinar that Abu’l-‘Aliyah said: When we conquered Tastar, we found in the treasury of al-Hormuzan a bier on which was the body of a dead man, and by his head was a scripture of his. We seized the scripture and took it to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), and he summoned Ka‘b, who translated it into Arabic. I was the first man among the Arabs to read it, and I read it as I read this Quran.
I said to Abu’l-‘Aliyah: What was in it? He said: It was about you, your affairs, your religion, your talk, and what will happen after that. I said: What did you do with the man? He said: We dug thirteen different graves during the day, then at night we buried him and we levelled all the graves, so as to conceal its location from the people, so that they would not exhume him. I said: Why would people do that? He said: If rain was withheld from them, they would take his bier out and they would receive rain. I said: Who do you think the man was? He said: A man called Daniel. I said: How long ago do you think he died? He said: Three hundred years ago. I said: Had anything of him changed? He said: No, except a few hairs at the back of his head, for the earth does not consume (the bodies of) the prophets, and wild animals cannot devour them.”
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“This is a sahih isnad going back to Abu’l-‘Aliyah, but if the date of this man’s death was recorded as having been three hundred years earlier, then he cannot have been a prophet; rather he was a righteous man. That is because there was no prophet between ‘Isa ibn Maryam and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), according to the text of the hadith narrated by al-Bukhari, and the period between them was four hundred years, or six hundred, or six hundred and twenty years. Or the date of his death may have been eight hundred years earlier, which is close to the time of Daniel, if this was the Daniel who once lived. Or he may have been some other man, either one of the prophets or one of the righteous. But it is most likely that he was Daniel, because Daniel was taken captive by the king of Persia, and remained with him as a prisoner, as we have seen above. It was narrated with a sahih isnad going back to Abu’l-‘Aliyah that the length of his nose was a handspan, and it was narrated with a sahih isnad going back to Anas ibn Malik that the length of his nose was a cubit. Therefore it is possible that this was one of the earlier prophets, before the period mentioned above. And Allah knows best.” (Al-Bidayah wa’an-Nihayah, 2/40)
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“When the grave of Daniel was discovered in Tastar, Abu Musa wrote to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) about it, and ‘Umar wrote back to him, saying: During the day, dig thirteen graves, and bury him by night in one of them, and conceal the location of his grave, lest his grave be a cause of fitnah and confusion for people.” (Majmu‘ al-Fatawa, 15/154)
References:

Sirat Ibn Ishaq (p. 66); 
Tarikh Baghdad (1/361); 
Tarikh Dimashq (8/32); 
al-Masalik wa’l-Mamalik (p. 92); 
A‘lam an-Nubuwwah (p. 66); 
Ahsan at-Taqasim (p. 417); 
al-Jawab as-Sahih (5/276); 
Hidayat al-Hayara (2/375); 
al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah (2/374); 
Siyar A‘lam an-Nubala (2/312)

For more about prophets, please see this category: Belief in Messengers. 
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.
Firstly: 

Many people are infatuated by the different types of miracles
in the Qur’aan, including the “numerical miracles”. In newspapers and
magazines and on the internet they publish lists of words that are repeated
a number of times that corresponds to their structure, and words that are
repeated the same number of times as their opposites. They also claim that
the word yawm (day) is repeated 365 times and the word shahr (month) is
repeated 12 times, and they do this with other words too, such as
al-malaa’ikah (angels) and al-shayaateen (devils), and al-dunya (this world)
and al-aakhirah (the Hereafter), etc.  

Many people think that these numbers are true and that this
is one of the miracles of the Qur’aan, but they do not distinguish between
subtleties and miracles. Writing a book which contains a specific number of
certain words is something that anyone can do; what is so miraculous about
that? The miracle that appears in the Book of Allaah is not like these
subtleties, rather it is far deeper and greater than that. It is the fact
that the most eloquent and well-spoken of the Arabs could not produce
anything like the Qur’aan, or ten soorahs of it, or even one soorah. It is
not like these subtleties that any writer could produce in any book that he
writes, or more.  

It should be noted that some people have taken this beyond
mere statistics. Some of them have used these numbers to foretell when the
state of Israel will fall, and others have used them to say when the Day of
Judgement will be. One of the latest fabrications against the Book of Allaah
is that which they have published saying that the Qur’aan foretold the
explosions in the towers in New York! Based on the number of the verse in
al-Tawbah, and the number of the soorah and juz’. All of that is toying with
the Book of Allaah which is caused by ignorance of the true nature of the
miracle of the Book of Allaah. 

Secondly: 

By examining the statistics presented by those who have
published these numbers, we find that they did not get the numbers of some
phrases right, and some of them have been selective in the way they counted
the words, and that is so that they might reach the conclusion they want and
that they think is in the Book of Allaah. 

Shaykh Dr. Khaalid al-Sabt said:  

Dr. Ashraf ‘Abd al-Razzaaq Qatanah presented a “study of the
numerical miracles in the Holy Qur’aan” which he published in a book
entitled: “The Qur’aan and the Numerical Miracles, a critical study of the
numerical miracles of the Holy Qur’aan.” In the conclusion to this book he
reviews three other books: (1) I’jaaz al-Raqm 19 (The miracle of the
number 19) by Baasim Jaraar; (2) al-I’jaaz al-‘Adadi fi’l-Qur’aan
(the numerical miracle in the Qur’aan) by ‘Abd al-Razzaaq Nawfal; and (3)
al-Mu’jizah (the miracle) by ‘Adnaan al-Rifaa’i. The author reached a
conclusion which he describes as follows: 

As the result of my study I reached the idea that the
“numerical miracle” as presented in these books is not real at all, and
these books are based on conditions that are sometimes selective , in order
to prove the validity of this view in a way that will make the reader accept
these preconceived results referred to above.  These selective conditions
sometimes lead the author to go against that which is proven according to
the consensus of the ummah, such as going against the spelling of the
‘Uthmaani Mus-haf, which is not permissible at all; or adopting the spelling
of some words which appears in some Mus-hafs and without paying attention to
the spellings in other Mus-hafs. It also goes against basic principles of
the Arabic language with regard to synonyms and antonyms.   

p. 197, Damascus, Manaar li’l-Nashr wa’l-Tawzee’, first
edition, 1420 AH/1999 CE. 

Dr. Fahd al-Roomi said something similar about the selective
way in which Dr ‘Abd al-Razzaaq Nawfal chose words in order to reach this
numerical balance, such as when he said: The word yawm (day) is mentioned
365 times in the Qur’aan, the number of days in a year. In order to prove
this he counted the words “al-yawm” and “yawman” but he
ignored words such as “yawmukum” (your day) and “yawmuhum”
(their day) and yawma’idhin (on that day), because if he had done
that, he would have got a different number. The same applies to the word
al-isti’aadhah which refers to seeking refuge from the shaytaan. He says
that it is repeated 11 times, but he includes in that the words “a’oodhu”
(I seek refuge) and “fasta’idh” (seek refuge) but not “ ‘udhtu”
(I sought refuge) or “ya’oodhoona” (they seek refuge) or “u’eedhuha”
(I seek refuge for her) or “ma’aadh Allaah” (Allaah forbid). 

See: Ittijaahaat al-Tafseer fi’l-Qarn al-Raabi’ ‘Ashara
(2/699, 700), Beirut, Mu’sasat al-Risaalah, second edition, 1414 AH. 

From this well-founded discussion, the answer to the issue of
the word “yawm” and the number of times it appears in the Qur’aan, which is
mentioned in the question, is clear. 

Thirdly: 

With regard to the count (of time) (al-hisaab, mentioned in
Yoonus 10:5) that Allaah has mentioned in His holy Book, it is the precise
count (of time) that does not differ as the years pass, which is the lunar
count (of time). 

With regard to the verse (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And they stayed in their Cave three hundred years, adding
nine”

[al-Kahf 18:25],  

some of the scholars have stated that the number 300 refers
to solar years, and that the number 309 refers to lunar years. This view was
refuted by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, who explained in his
refutation that the count (of time) with Allaah is lunar, not solar. 

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: 

“adding nine” means that they added nine years to
three hundred, so they stayed there for three hundred and nine years. It may
be said: Why doesn’t it just say three hundred and nine? 

The answer is that this is what is meant, but the Qur’aan is
the most eloquent of books, and in order for the ends of the verses to match
(in Arabic) it says: “And they stayed in their Cave three hundred (solar)
years, adding nine (for lunar years)”. It is not as some people think,
that the three hundred refers to solar years and the nine was added for
lunar years, because we cannot testify that Allaah meant that. Who can
testify that this is what Allaah meant? Even if it so happens that three
hundred solar years are equal to three hundred and nine lunar years, we
cannot testify about Allaah in this way, because the count (of time)  with
Allaah is one. 

What are the signs by which the count (of time) is reckoned
with Allaah? 

The answer is that they are the new moons; hence we say that
the view that “three hundred years” refers to solar years and “adding nine”
refers to lunar years, is a weak view. 

Firstly: because we cannot testify that Allaah meant this. 

Secondly: because the number of months and years with Allaah
is based on the new moons. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“It is He Who made the sun to be a shining glory and the
moon to be a light (of beauty), and measured out stages for it; that ye
might know the number of years and the count (of time)”

[Yoonus 10:5] 

“They ask you (O Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about the new
moons. Say: These are signs to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and
for the pilgrimage”

[al-Baqarah 2:189]

Tafseer Soorat al-Kahf. 

Reckoning time by the moon and the new moons was well known
to the Prophets and their peoples, and reckoning time by the sun was only
known to the ignorant followers of false religions, but unfortunately many
Muslims follow them nowadays. 

Dr Khaalid al-Sabt says, in his refutation of those who say
that the verse “The building which they built”
[al-Tawbah 9:11] in al-Tawbah refers to the
explosions in America: 

5 (the fifth point) – These connections are based on the
solar calendar, which is a calendar that was inherited from idolatrous
nations, and which was of no significance to the Prophets (blessing and
peace be upon them). Rather the calendar that counts in sharee’ah is the
calendar that is based on the moon and new moons, which is more precise. 
This indicates that what was known to the Prophets was the lunar calendar.
In the hadeeth of Waathilah ibn al-Asqa’ (may Allaah be pleased with him) it
says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“The Suhuf of Ibraaheem were revealed to him on the first night of Ramadaan,
and the Tawrat (Torah) was revealed on the sixth of Ramadaan, and the Injeel
(Gospel) on the thirteenth of Ramadaan, and the Furqaan (Qur’aan) was
revealed on the twenty-fourth of Ramadaan.” Narrated by Ahmad (4/107) and by
al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan (9/188). Its isnaad is hasan. It was also
mentioned by al-Albaani in al-Saheehah (1575). This could not be
known unless the calendar was based on the moon and new moons. This is also
indicated by the hadeeth which was narrated in al-Saheehayn from Ibn
‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: When the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah, he found the
Jews fasting on the day of ‘Ashoora’. He said: “What is this?” They said:
This is a good day, this is the day on which Allaah saved the Children of
Israel from their enemies. So Moosa fasted on that day … Narrated by
al-Bukhaari (2004) and Muslim (1130). And al-Haafiz (may Allaah have mercy
on him) stated clearly that they did not base their count (of time) on the
sun. See: al-Fath (4/291 and 7/323). 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, commenting
on the verses “It is He Who made the sun a shining
thing and the moon as a light and measured out for it stages” [Yoonus 10:5]
and “And the moon, We
have measured for it mansions (to traverse) till it returns like the old
dried curved date stalk” [Yaa Seen 36:38, 39]:
Hence the lunar calendar was better known among the nations and was less
likely to involve errors, and it is more precise than the solar calendar,
and all people can follow it easily. Hence Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning): “and measured out for it stages that
you might know the number of years and the reckoning” [Yoonus 10:5].
But He did not say that about the sun, hence the months of Hajj, fasting,
Eid and other Islamic occasions are based on the lunar calendar. This is by
the wisdom of Allaah and His mercy, and so as to protect His religion, as
the people may all be able to figure out this count of time easily and avoid
mistakes, and so that no differences or confusion would happen to the
religion as happened to the people of the Book.  

End quote from Miftaah Daar al-Sa’aadah, p. 538, 539. 

It may be understood from the last comment of Ibn al-Qayyim
(may Allaah have mercy on him) that the people of the Book used to follow a
solar calendar, and this was stated clearly by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may
Allaah have mercy on him) in his response after he attributed this view to
Ibn al-Qayyim. See al-Fath (7/323). 

But in fact it played no role in their religion, rather it
was introduced after that by the ignorant among them. End quote. 

Concerning the things we learn from the verse “They ask
you (O Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about the
new moons…”, Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
 

… and we learn that the fixed periods of time for all nations
are the fixed periods of time that were established by Allaah for them –
which are the new moons – so these are global fixed periods of time, because
Allaah says “fixed periods of time for mankind”. As for what has
happened recently, namely the adoption of the European calendar, there it
has no tangible basis and it makes no sense and is not prescribed in
sharee’ah. Hence you find that one month has twenty-eight days and some have
thirty days and some have thirty one, without any known reason for this
discrepancy. Moreover these months have no physical sign that the people can
refer to in order to work out time, unlike the lunar months which have a
physical sign that is known to everyone. End quote. 

Tafseer al-Baqarah (2/371).  

Al-Qurtubi said, commenting on the verse “Verily, the
number of months with Allaah is twelve months (in a year), so was it
ordained by Allaah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth”
[al-Tawbah 9:36]: This verse indicates that rulings on acts of worship
and other matters must be connected to the months and years that were known
to the Arabs, and not those that were used by the Persians, Byzantines or
Copts, and they should not be more than twelve months, because they vary in
the number of days; some of them being thirty days and some of them being
more or less. But the months of the Arabs never exceed thirty days, although
some of them may be less; the ones that are less are not any specific
months, rather that varies according to variations in the moon’s movement
through the sky. End quote.  Tafseer al-Qurtubi (8/133). 

And Allaah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.
Firstly: 

With regard to the first hadith, which is the hadith of
Thawbaan, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him), it is a saheeh hadith. 

It was narrated by an-Nasaa’i in his Sunan (3175) and
classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh an-Nasaa’i. It was also
narrated by Ahmad in his Musnad (37/81), and classed as hasan by the
commentators. 

With regard to the second hadith, which is the hadith of Abu
Hurayrah, it is a da‘eef (weak) hadith. 

It was narrated by an-Nasaa’i (3173) and classed as da‘eef by
al-Albaani in Da‘eef an-Nasaa’i. it was also narrated by Ahmad in his
Musnad (12/28 – ar-Risaalah edition), and classed as da‘eef by the
commentators. There are other isnaads for the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, all of
which are da‘eef, and there are other hadiths on this topic that are not
free of problems. What has been proven and established to be saheeh is the
hadith of Thawbaan. 

Secondly: 

India was indeed invaded and taken over by the Muslims, and
they destroyed its idols, on several occasions. That began at the time of
al-Waleed ibn ‘Abd al-Malik, under the leadership of al-Qaasim ibn Muhammad
ath-Thaqafi. It was also invaded and taken over at the time of the
‘Abbasids, under the leadership of the commander Mahmoud ibn
Sabuktigin
(may Allah have mercy on him). He took it upon himself to invade India once
every year. Shaykh Siddeeq Hasan Khan (d. 1307 AH – may Allah have mercy on
him) said:

With regard to India, it was conquered during the reign of
al-Waleed ibn ‘Abd al-Malik, at the hands of Muhammad ibn Qaasim ath-Thaqafi
in 92 AH, and his banners reached from the borders of Sindh to Kannauj in 95
AH. After he returned, the rulers of India returned to their places and the
rulers among the Marwanid and ‘Abbasid caliphs remained in Sindh. … The
author of al-Mughni said: … At the end of the fourth century  AH,
Sultan Mahmoud al-Ghaznawi set out to invade India, and he came several
times; he was victorious and he captured war booty, and he wrested Sindh
from the governors of the ‘Abbasid caliph al-Qaadir Billah ibn al-Muqtadir.
But Sultan Mahmoud did not stay in India. His sons controlled a region
stretching from Ghazneen to Lahore until the Sultan Mu‘izz ad-Deen Saam al-Ghuri
took over Ghazneen, and came to Lahore and captured Khusrau Malik, who was
the last ruler the Ghaznawi dynasty. He seized control of India and made
Delhi the seat of government in 589 AH. From that date until the end of the
twelfth century, the kingdoms of India were in the hands of Muslim Sultans.

Abjad al-‘Uloom
(1/344-345). 

Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said concerning the
events of the year 94 AH: In that year, al-Qaasim ibn Muhammad ath-Thaqafi
conquered India and captured booty that cannot be enumerated or described.
Al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah (9/113) 

Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said concerning the
events of 96 AH: In that year, Yameen ad-Dawlah – Mahmoud ibn
Sabuktigin – invaded India, conquering
major cities and seizing a large amount of booty. He took captive one of
their kings – namely the king of Karachi – who fled when he conquered it,
and he broke their idols.

Al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah
(11/358). 

He also (may Allah have mercy on him) said concerning the
events of 149 AH: in that year, Mahmoud ibn Sabuktigin invaded India, and
met the king of India in battle. There was a great deal of fighting among
the people, then the fighting ended with a great defeat for India, and the
Muslims killed many of them and captured a great deal of booty from them,
including gemstones, gold and silver. They also took from them two hundred
elephants and they tried to pursue those who fled the battlefield, and
destroyed many temples. Al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah (12/8) 

What happened of the invasion of India is one of the signs of
Prophethood, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
foretold its happening. This was knowledge of the unseen that Allah revealed
to him. Ustadh Muhammad ‘Abd al-Wahhaab Buhayri (may Allah have mercy on
him) said: It should be noted: the hadith mentioned – i.e., the hadith of
Thawbaan – is one of the signs of Prophethood. The Muslims invaded India and
Sindh at the time of the Umayyads – then he mentioned some incidents that
occurred during the invasion and conquest of India. Buloogh al-Amaani min
Asraar al-Fath ar-Rabbaani (22/411) 

There is nothing to indicate that there will be another
invasion of India that will occur at the end of time, close to the onset of
the Hour or during the time of ‘Eesaa (peace be upon him), as was suggested
by some scholars. Rather what appears to be the case is that what is
referred to in the hadith is what actually happened. The hadith of Thawbaan
does not mention the connection between the two groups; rather each group
has its own time, although both of them may share the same virtue. 

And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.
There is no report in the Holy Qur’aan or the Sunnah of the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to prove or disprove
that Yoosuf (peace be upon him) married the wife of al-‘Azeez, whose name
was said by some to be Ra‘eel and by others to be Zulaykha; al-Haafiz Ibn
Katheer suggested that Zulaykha was her title. 

There is a report about Yoosuf (peace be upon him) marrying
Ra‘eel that was narrated from a well-known imam of seerah and history,
Muhammad ibn Ishaaq (may Allah have mercy on him) who said: 

With regard to Yoosuf saying to the King,
“Set me over the store‑houses of the land; I will indeed
guard them with full knowledge” [Yoosuf 12:55],
the king said: I will do that. So he appointed him instead of Itfeer and
dismissed Itfeer from his post. Allah says: “Thus did We give full
authority to Yoosuf (Joseph) in the land, to take possession therein, when
or where he likes…” [Yoosuf 12:56]. 

He said: It was mentioned to me – and Allah knows best – that
Itfeer died during those nights and that the King al-Rayyaan ibn al-Waleed
gave Itfeer’s wife, Ra‘eel, to Yoosuf in marriage, and when she entered upon
him he said: Is this not better than what you wanted? And they claimed that
she said: O Siddeeq, do not blame me, for I was a woman who was, as you see,
beautiful and enjoying a life of luxury, and my husband could not have
intimate relations with women, and you are as Allah made you, very handsome,
and I could not help myself. 

They claimed that he found her a virgin and he had
intercourse with her and she bore him two sons: Afra’eem ibn Yoosuf and
Maysha ibn Yoosuf. The son of Afra’eem was Noon, the father of Yoosha‘ ibn
Noon, and Rahmah the wife of Ayyoob (peace be upon him). End quote. 

Narrated by Ibn Abi Haatim in al-Tafseer, 7/2161;
al-Tabari in Jaami‘ al-Bayaan, 16/151. 

A similar report was narrated from Zayd ibn Aslam, the great
Taabi‘i, and from Wahb ibn Munabbih, from the Israa’eeliyyaat
(reports from Jewish sources). 

That was also narrated by al-Suyooti in al-Durr
al-Manthoor, 4/553 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Chapter 27: One who gives up his beloved to avoid a haraam
relationship and then was enabled to be with his beloved in a halaal way, or
Allah compensated him with some one better, as Yoosuf al-Siddeeq avoided the
wife of al-‘Azeez for the sake of Allah, and chose prison over immoral
action, and Allah compensated him by giving him full authority in the land
to take possession therein when or where he wanted, and the woman came to
him humbly asking for a halaal relationship, so he married her and when he
entered upon her he said: This is better than what you wanted. 

Think about how Allah, may He be glorified and exalted,
rewarded him for the hardship of prison and gave him full authority in the
land to take possession therein when or where he wanted, and subdued for him
the wife of al-‘Azeez, and she and the other women attested to his
innocence. This is what Allah ordained for His slaves in the past and at
present until the Day of Resurrection. 

End quote from Rawdat al-Muhibbeen, p. 445 

This does not mean that this story is definitively true;
rather it seems that it was taken from the People of the Book, and we have
been commanded not to believe them and not to disbelieve them either. The
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not believe the
People of the Book and do not disbelieve them. Say: We believe in that which
has been revealed to us and revealed to you, our God and your God is One,
and we submit to Him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4485; classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Saheehah, 422 

And Allah knows best.